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Georgia Tech Basketball: Preseason Position Preview – PG

By Bronston Tankersley

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Jose Alvarado #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shoots in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Jose Alvarado #10 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets shoots in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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Coming into the 2019-20 basketball season, the Yellow Jackets have weapons at point guard. Junior Jose Alvarado and Sophomore Michael Devoe will take turns running point for the Jackets and their leadership will be needed especially going into ACC play.

PG #10 Jose Alvarado:

Alvarado has led the Jacket offense for the previous two seasons. His leadership is key going into this season and he’ll be looked towards for the big time buckets coming down to crunch time. Last season, Alvarado led the team in PPG, assists, and steals with 12.5 PPG , 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals. He is clearly going to be a vital part of the Yellow Jackets production going into his Junior season on The Flats.

Alvarado struggled last season with his shooting going 39.2% from the field and only 28.6% from the three-point line. He will need to bring those numbers up this season if they look to compete in the ACC and boast a better record than last season.

With the weight on his shoulders, look for #10 to have a “biGTime” season for Georgia Tech basketball. Despite having NCAA restrictions preventing the Yellow Jackets from having a post-season opportunity, I could easily season the Jackets playing .500 ball in ACC play, which would be an amazing feature for the program going forward.

PG #0 Michael Devoe:

In Devoe’s first season at Georgia Tech, he played more of a back-up role for Alavarado at PG, and he sometimes was moved into a shooting guard position with Alvarado still on the court. Devoe was a top scorer for the Jackets as well last season scoring 9.7 PPG and boasting a very solid 39.3% from the three-point line.

Although his 3-point percentage is amongst the highest on the team, Devoe struggled earlier in the season finding a rhythm and sometimes passed up on open shots. Look for Devoe to gain that confidence in his shot this year and torch defenses with his high shooting percentage. This will be needed if they want to take the pressure off of frontcourt scorers such as James Banks III, Moses Wright, and Evan Cole.

Overall Grade: B+

The point guard position will  be a strong point for the Yellow Jackets this year and teams will definitely be game planning for both of these athletes going into each game. Alvarado and Devoe are elite scorers and are not afraid to score this basketball. Inside and out these point guards will pose a threat to every opponent this season. I’ve ranked them as a B+ in the preseason, but do not be surprised if the post-season review has the point guard position ranked higher.

Georgia Tech starts their season against in-conference-foe N.C. State on Nov. 5th,10:30 PM EST on the ACC Network. This will be a huge test for the Jackets, but they’ll look to start the season off with a win, nonetheless.